Lower back pain is often associated with disc degenerative disease. Often, disc degeneration and facet degeneration occur simultaneously, with one being the cause and the other the effect. Disc degeneration leads to disc height loss altering the normal spinal biomechanics and motion, including abnormal loading of the facet joints. The nerve fibers in the facet joints can be a source of scintillating pain as a result of the compressive or abnormal loading of the facet joints. While there are a number of procedures (such as spinal fusion, artificial discs, and artificial facet joints) directed towards alleviating the conditions associated with disc degeneration and/or facet degeneration, there is a continuing desire for improved methods and apparatus.